Gül BAYRAM, Harun GÜLBUDAK, Aslıhan BEKCİ, Seda TEZCAN ÜLGER, Gülçin YAPICI, Gönül ASLAN

SARS-CoV-2 pozitif sağlık çalışanlarının gerçek zamanlı PCR döngü eşik değeri, klinik ve epidemiyolojik özelliklerinin değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Sağlık çalışanları, yeni tip koronavirüs hastalığı (COVID-19) pandemisi sürecinde SARS-CoV- 2’den en fazla etkilenen meslek grubudur. Sağlık çalışanlarının SARS-CoV-2 ile enfekte olması, diğer sağlık çalışanları, hastalar ve aileleri için enfeksiyon riski oluşturmaktadır. RT-qPCR yöntemi ile örnekteki viral yük ölçüsü döngü eşik değeri “cycle threshold (Ct)” olarak saptanmaktadır. RT-qPCR Ct değerinin, enfeksiyonun şiddeti ve bulaştırıcılığı ile ilişkili olabileceği bildirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada SARS-CoV-2 RT- qPCR testi pozitif bulunan sağlık çalışanlarında sosyo- demografik faktörler, COVID-19 semptomları ve Ct değeri arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Çalışmaya SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testi pozitif bulunan 300 sağlık çalışanı dahil edilmiştir. SARS- CoV-2 RT-qPCR testi, nazofarengeal ve orofarengeal sürüntü örneklerinden Bio-speedy SARS-CoV-2 RT- qPCR (Bioeksen, Türkiye) kiti ile yapılmıştır. Sağlık çalışanlarının RT-qPCR Ct değeri sonuçları düşük, orta ve yüksek olarak sınıflandırılarak viral yayılım riski ve sosyo-demografik özellikleri değerlendirilmiştir.

Evaluation of real-time PCR cycle threshold value, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 positive healthcare workers

Objective: During the new coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare workers are the occupational group most affected by SARS-CoV-2. Infection of healthcare workers with SARS-CoV-2 poses a potential risk of infection for other healthcare workers, patients and their families. The viral load measure in the sample is determined as the cycle threshold (Ct) with the RT-qPCR method. It has been reported that the RT-qPCR Ct value may be related to the severity and potential contagiousness of the infection. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the relationships between socio- demographic factors, COVID-19 symptoms and Ct value in SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR positive healthcare workers. Methods: In this study, 300 healthcare workers with positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test were included. SARS- CoV-2 RT-qPCR test was performed from nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples with Bio-speedy SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR (Bioeksen, Turkey) kit. The RT- qPCR Ct value results of healthcare staff patients were classified as low, medium and high, socio-demographic characteristics and the risk of viral spread was evaluated. Results: The rate of those who showed at least one symptom among the 300 health personnel included in the study was 88.3% (n=265) and the most common symptoms were muscle-joint pain 39.7%, fatigue 33% and sore throat 30.7%. The median RT-qPCR Ct value was determined as 23.17(19.3-29.4) and Ct value was found to be low (

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